How To Learn More

The only factor which makes humans different from other living beings is the power to use their brains to the fullest. We talked before about thinking rational, which helps us choose better decisions even when facing problems. Today we will talk about using our brain to learn more.

Everyone can become smarter and learn new things every day. Whether you have bad memory like me or can’t focus on learning something or you don’t have high IQ level. We talked before about neuroplasticity in the article about improving your brain activity. We talked about what is it and how we can use it to our advantage. So stop the excuses of not learning because if you are reading this article then you have the ability to learn things. Plus by learning new things and new ways to do some things you create new neuro-connections in your brain.

Believe in yourself

It always comes down to mindset setting. If you think that you can do it, then you will. If not then you won’t. Simple as that. Your beliefs shape your actions and therefore in the end your outcomes. Some things are harder than other or you might not getting them as easy as some else. Don’t worry about. Every individual has different strengths and weaknesses but it doesn’t mean that you can’t do what others do. You just need to give time to yourself.

Fixed vs growth mindset

Scientific studies showed that people can have one of these two mindsets. The fixed mindset is the one that you think that you don’t have what it takes to achieve the goal you want to achieve. The growth mindset is the one that you think that you can grow as a person in general. You can learn a new skill; you can acquire knowledge beyond the things you learned at school etc. You are capable of choosing any of the two, so choose the growth one to help you move forward in your life.

Don’t force yourself

I wasn’t an advocate of learning before I realized that. That was also one of the reasons that I didn’t like school back then. Probably most of you also. Who likes to be forced to do something? No one right? Do a research on the subjects you like and want to learn more about at first. Then search for the different options you have to learn from and choose the ones you like. Some of these are seminars, workshops, webinars, books and 1-one-1 coaching. Finally find the tutors and/or mentors you want to learn from because you like the way of explaining things and what they teach.

Focus vs diffuse mode

For better results with the learning process depending on what you need to learn you must use one of the two learning modes. When something is really hard to master it and needs your full attention you need to use the focus mode. In this one you have to be completely focused only on that specific thing and stop paying attention on anything unrelated to that. When you are learning something that is not hard or you need a few more resources to learn about it, then you need to use the diffuse mode. In this mode is like connecting the dots. You take small pieces from random sources at the same time or things you already have learned before and combine them in your brain to reach the end goal.

The 80/20 principle

Aka the Pareto principle. Probably you heard it before somewhere. The reason for that is that it can be used anywhere to help you do something faster and more efficient. You can learn more about it by reading the “The 80/20 Principle: The Secret to Achieving More with Less” by Richard Koch. Basically the principle states that you need to find the 20% of the work you need to do in order to do the 80% of what needs to be done. For example you don’t need to learn every single line of what you need to read. Find the highlights of the book and the areas that you prefer learning from that book and focus on that. That will bring you more results in less time.

Remove distractions

This one is pretty obvious and needs no explanation but I have to say it. We mention before in the article on how to create better habits the influence that environment has on us. Some quick tips on that are remove notifications from mobile phones and computers, don’t use social media, put your phone in silent mode and study somewhere that is quiet.

Ask, ask, ask

Be curious like children. They always want to learn things about the world around them and that makes them grow as human beings. Curiosity is powerful when learning. Whenever you stuck on something or you don’t understand what others said but you want to learn what that is just ask them. Asking is one of the best ways to learn new things and it’s also free. People like to give advice to others or guide them towards a goal, so it won’t bother them. Instead they will love to help you out because they feel confident that they know and teach something to some else.

The Pomodoro technique

It was designed by Francesco Cirillo and pomodoro means tomato in Italian. For this technique you use those tomato-like timers for cooking and by the way that’s why it’s called like that (you can also use any type of timer). You set it to remind you in 25 minutes to stop whatever you do for a 5-minute break and so on. The basic idea is that you need time to absorb what you learned so far and relax for a while. That will refresh you and you will be ready for more instead of boring yourself to death and giving up.

Chucking

Sometimes you are going to have a lot to learn and you feel pressure of learning all these. Don’t overwhelm yourself. Chucking is a great technique to help you on that. It’s similar to diffuse mode of learning but it’s not the same. When you create a chuck you connect parts of the same material you are learning to help you create a better and more detailed big picture in your mind so you can master it. You don’t have to learn by heart from the whole section you are reading. Just learn the most important parts and move on. While proceeding and connecting the new knowledge you acquired you will see that everything becomes clearer in your brain and you remember the information you need.

Step-by-step progress

Lastly do not get frustrated and push yourself to hard because you might not progress as much as you thought you would in a day. Your brain is like your body, it needs time to adjust to something new. Don’t be hard on yourself because you will ruin everything in the end. Small steps are better than no steps at all.

Those tips are more than enough to help you learn faster and more efficient without feeling tired or stressed out. Use the ones that you help you stay on course and not back down instead. Learning is supposed to be fun and informative, not boring without positive outcomes.

Share this article to inform more people and tell us your thoughts in the comments below: Did you find these tips helpful? Do you like learning new stuff? What’s your way of doing that? Do you have a fixed or growth mindset? Can you suggest other ways of learning?

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